Sidel’s Qual-IS is an integrated partner able to drive all aspects of quality control and food safety across aseptic production.

Qual-IS is the unique solution by Sidel to merge all activities related to quality control - laboratory, traceability, and sampling - in a digitally, intelligent and integrated way. It is a pioneering approach to quality management, focusing on driving quality rather than simply monitoring it. 

Over 80% of grocery companies define a financial risk from product recalls as either significant or catastrophic while almost 60% have been affected by a recall event in the last five years[1].  For all grocery brands quality control and food safety is their chief concern. 

“Qual-IS is our latest digital solution - a smart, dynamic quality control system, specifically designed to sustain a high level of quality control at all times thanks to its advanced traceability and data analytics,” explains Enrico Savani, product manager for Sensitive Product Filling.  “Our customers are able to secure food safety & quality with Qual-IS ensuring consumer satisfaction, trusted brand reputation, and boosting business and profitability.” 

Qual-IS is a digital solution accessed through mobile, desktop, or HMI installed on the production line and across laboratory facilities. Qual-IS integrates six key components including a sampling plan; laboratory management; traceability; hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP); calibration certificates and quality status. 

An integrated process: traceability, sampling and laboratory management 

Traceability lies at the heart of Qual-IS. Each bottle is allocated and printed with a unique code, which holds all the information connected to that bottle over the course of its manufacturing life including preform and cap used, product recipe, production process parameters and even critical factors, events and alarms. 

Equally, sampling is an essential part of quality control systems and Qual-IS comes pre-loaded with both tailormade and pre-designed sampling patterns which are based on a statistical approach and Sidel’s wider experience operating within the beverage industry for over fifty years. Using data intelligence, these sampling patterns will also automatically adjust following the results of microbiological tests and will also adapt to different production lines. 

Qual-IS integrates quality control procedures across all elements of the aseptic production line from preform blowing to laboratory management. Currently, data collected through quality control tests at the production stage and in the lab are often stored in separate databases. Qual-IS will now unite these two data collection points. 

Lab microbiologists will be able to access all information associated with individual bottles by scanning the unique code previously printed. This will indicate which quality control tests are required.  Information is presented in an easy-to-use data dashboard and reports are customizable and straightforward to export. 

Driving not monitoring quality control 

Hazard analysis and critical control points are a mandatory step for all aseptic production processes and ensures food safety across each and every bottle. Before starting the production, the bottler chooses what are CCPs, and what happens in case those are not respected. 

Through Qual-IS it will be possible to show the critical control point status including historical production trends in one place. Plus, by scanning each bottle the value of each CCP can be instantly retrieved. Ultimately, Qual-IS provides easy access to historical data and customizable trends allowing operators to forecast future parameters more accurately. 

Similarly, Qual-IS can also create a calibration map for equipment used across the aseptic production line and check the calibration certificates for each instrument linked to critical control points. Under the dedicated area within the Qual-IS app, operators will be able to view the expiration date for each certificate. 

The certificate status is identified with a color-coded system: green (certificate renewal date is within a set timeframe), amber (requires attention shortly), and red (certificate has expired, requires action).  If the certificate has expired, equipment will notify users through the Qual-IS alert system. 

Finally, quality status across the production line is displayed in a real-time dashboard with the ability to visualize trends, set quality key performance indicators and create customizable reports.  

“For customers who wish to enter the aseptic market, Qual-IS provides the mechanism to manage their new journey in an easy way. And for customers, who are already expert aseptic beverage producers, Qual-IS provides a uniform method to manage multiple production lines by analyzing data across different areas in real time – helping to drive meticulously high standards of quality control,” concludes Enrico.

[1] Capturing Recall Costs - Grocery Manufacturers Association